Po’ boys on wheels enliven Cerrillos Road scene
Southern food keeps on truckin’
With more meals on wheels in Santa Fe these days, I decided to check out a couple of the newer food trucks along the Cerrillos Road corridor.
Both Palate, generally stationed in the Artisan art supplies store’s parking lot, and Trinity Kitchen, doing business in Meow Wolf’s parking lot, have gone the Southern route, offering a selection of po’ boys. But, from there, the menus branch off into different directions.
Palate serves both breakfast and lunch, and gives a nod to New Mexico with tacos rounding out its selections. On recent visits, I sampled both its fried green tomato po’ boy ($9) and its sauteed shrimp tacos ($9.50). Both had much to recommend them.
The three shrimp tacos on small wheat tortillas came with an avocado lime crema sauce and tomatillo salsa that offered a sneak-up-onyou heat. The shrimp retained a surprisingly briny hint of the ocean in land-locked Santa Fe. The menu advertised roasted corn slaw as the veggie stuffing with the shrimp, but I could identify only shredded lettuce on my order.
The cornmeal-battered fried green tomatoes were filled with fresh summer flavor — sometimes this dish can turn mushy and dull, but that was not the case here. A non-fried tomato added to the flavor, complemented by a spring mix of lettuce and a piquant green chile remoulade. The bread was crisp at the edges and soft in the middle, making for an easy bite without the risk of too much of the middle squishing out.
A varied selection of coffees and teas can accompany your meal, along with sides of fries, corn or slaw. And I’m dying to try the red chile hot chocolate with a peanut butter butterscotch cookie.
Po’ boys also are offered with chicken, beef or shrimp, while taco selections also include chicken, beef and flash-fried avocados. Trinity Kitchen goes for a more traditional mix of New Orleans and the South in its menu, with its po’ boys, gumbo and étoufée accompanied by offerings from waffles to beignets.
Why not go for the gold — or perhaps I should say the pearls — I figured, and ordered an oyster po’ boy ($14). The sandwich comes with four oysters, but one was so big it was offered on the side. The breading had a nice crunch that sunk into the soft interior with a strong oyster flavor.
You have to like oysters to like this sandwich — and I do. Arugula and slices of watermelon radish completed the fillings.
Fries came on the side — many of them were curled and had a somewhat meaty flavor. Were these the pulled pork fries offered as a side on the menu? They were tasty, but I tend to prefer crispier fries than these. They came with some catsup on the side but, if you want heartier flavoring, an array of condiments are lined up on the food truck counter.
Another time, I tried the pulled pork po’ boy ($10), whose meat was smoky and tender, topped by a rather peppery cole slaw. The bread itself on both sandwiches was satisfactory, but unremarkable.
Next time, I’d like to wander away from the sandwiches and try the gumbo or étoufée for a hit of real New Orleans flavor. And after once sampling sweet beignets in the Big Easy, I’m wondering how they taste stuffed with crawfish, as Trinity Kitchen’s menu promises.
Both trucks are well worth a visit. Meow Wolf’s parking lot has some picnic tables scattered throughout, which I noticed on my recent visit had umbrellas added for shade. The Artisan parking lot, fronting on Cerrillos Road itself, is somewhat more forbidding, but a few tables on the portal would be shaded during the afternoon hours. Palate also offers catering.